The Art of the (Platform) Deal: Tech Platforms, Fact Checkers, and the Politics of Truth

Ned Watt; Silvia Montaña-Niño; Michelle Riedlinger

doi:10.34669/wi.wjds/5.2.1

Authors

Ned Watt Queensland University of Technology, Australia https://orcid.org/0009-0008-6649-9920
Silvia Montaña-Niño University of Melbourne, Australia https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4238-0801
Michelle Riedlinger Queensland University of Technology, Australia https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4402-4824

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.34669/wi.wjds/5.2.1

Keywords:

platforms, Meta, fact checking, politics, misinformation, disinformation

Abstract

In January 2025, the platform company Meta abruptly announced that it would be ending its industry-leading third-party fact-checking (3PFC) program starting with fact checkers in the United States. This decision aligns with recent changes in the US administration and heralds a cultural shift in how big tech platforms approach both content moderation and political relations. Specifically, it marks a move away from policy that emphasizes consensus building towards more explicit political deal-making. This decision also highlights the vulnerabilities faced by fact checkers, whose economic model and democratic initiative largely depend on platform-supported fact checking. This article addresses the critical implications of these developments, considering the history of 3PFC as it relates to US politics, recent changes to digital information ecosystems, and the dynamics of power structures around the politics of information, technology, and truth.

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